//------------------------------//
// Loyalty 1: ライトニング 
// Story: 友達は魔法少女　～ＦＲＩＥＮＤＳＨＩＰ　ＩＳ　ＭＡＧＩＣＡＬ　ＧＩＲＬＳ～ 
// by MythrilMoth 
//------------------------------//


6月1日


//Two weeks ago, our nation suffered a tragedy the likes of which has not been seen on our shores for many decades.//

//Kirin Tower, one of Neighpon's most treasured landmarks as well as a cornerstone of Pony City's communications infrastructure, was destroyed in an act of terrorism.//

//The culprit behind the attack, as we now know, was an international fugitive, wanted for crimes of murder and treason in her own nation, and was deported to her own country to answer for those crimes.//

//In the past two weeks, many confusing details, rumors, and innuendos have circulated regarding the Kirin Incident. Government investigations into the Kirin Incident continue even as plans are set in motion to rebuild Kirin Tower.//

//In the meantime, most major communications services have been restored in Pony City, and daily life in Neighpon continues on as normal, as it always has. We, as a nation, thrive in the face of adversity. Every war, every natural disaster, every act of terror we have ever faced, we have met with a unified front and the resolve to live through. This is the strength of the Neighponese spirit.//

"Twiley-chan? You don't want to be late for school."

"I'm heading out now!"

The sun blazed overhead as Twilight Sparkle stepped out of the bookstore, dressed in Umadakara High School's summer uniform: a short-sleeved sky blue sailor blouse with a white string tie and a short pleated royal blue skirt. She stretched as she looked up at the sky, smiled, and headed off to another day of learning...

Another day with all her friends.





Loyalty 1: ライトニング


In the days after the Kirin Incident, the mahoushoujo had been the center of a near-constant uproar.

First, the police and government had tracked them down before Celestia's agents within the Neighponese government could act. They'd had to deal with hours of harrowing interrogation before three representatives of Sun Island showed up directly and intervened. Twilight was granted ambassadorial status, with full diplomatic immunity, and the rest now had documents officially proclaiming them as Tokubetsu Keisatsu, answering directly to the Imperial House. This had been met with alarmed and angry reactions by the police and government officials present.

"The Tokkou hasn't existed for decades!"

"These girls, Tokkou?! Ridiculous!"

And yet, every document presented was legally binding and irrefutable. What it all boiled down to, the Sun Island contingent explained to the girls after the fact, was that in any further public battles against Changelings and whatever else might show up, the mahoushoujo had absolute authority, and would never be interfered with by the police, Self-Defense Forces, or Neighponese government.

That had, unfortunately, only dealt with one problem.

Even with the massive media disruptions caused by the Kirin Incident, word had spread about the battle with Sunset Shimmer. The mahoushoujo were celebrities, like it or not—even moreso than Pinkie, Twilight, and Rainbow had already become. In the two weeks since the Kirin Incident, moments of peace had come few and far between, and Twilight and Spike often found themselves resigned to teleporting their friends home and wherever else they needed to be, just to avoid being mobbed.

By the beginning of June, though, things had started to die down somewhat, and at school, the girls were able to resume a mostly peaceful, ordinary school life.

"I don't get why we have seifuku for summer," Rainbow Dash frowned as she ate her curry bread. The girls weren't on the roof for once; they were eating lunch together in 2-B, Fluttershy's homeroom. "I feel like I'm back in middle school."

"You look like you're still in middle school," Pinkie said, poking Rainbow in the chest.

"HEY!"

"Pinkie-san," Twilight groaned.

"I'm just kidding," Pinkie said. "But yeah, it is weird that we have blazers for winter and seifuku for summer. What's up with that?"

"I petitioned to have it changed, but the student council can't be bothered to actually do anything," Rarity said.

"I don't really see the problem," Twilight said, shrugging. "It's comfortable."

"So anyway," Pinkie said, "I wanted to talk to you all about that PV we never actually got around to doing because of, well...everything else."

"Oh yeah, that!" Rainbow said. "I forgot all about that."

"Yeah...Net Idols haven't had the easiest time of it the last couple weeks. We're kind of on the back burner," Pinkie said. "Of course, the Kirin Incident is much more important—"

"Must we call it the Kirin Incident amongst ourselves?" Rarity asked.

"Why not?" Applejack asked. "It's easier than sayin' 'our fight with Sunset Shimmer'."

"Yeah, big important events need big important names," Rainbow said. "Even I know that."

"Fair enough," Rarity said. "So, Pinkie-san, you were saying?"

"Well...when I haven't been busy with school stuff and, you know, all the people hounding me all the time, I've been writing a new song, and I like it a lot better than the one I was gonna release before. I think I'm gonna work up a whole new dance routine to go with it, and we'll do that for the PV instead. If you girls still wanna do the PV, I mean."

"Of course we do," Twilight said, smiling.

"It's gonna be fun!" Rainbow agreed with a grin.

"Well...I do like idol PVs," Fluttershy said.

"I wouldn't miss it for the world," Rarity agreed.

"Heck, Ah'm in too," Applejack said.

"Great! Give me a week or two to get everything perfect with the song and the dance, then we'll start talking practice and costumes." She giggled. "With no Changelings and no nasty skanky Sunset Shimmer to worry about, maybe we can actually get this thing together this time!"


* * * * *


On the southwest side of Pony City lay the quiet Tenma District. It was primarily a residential area, with a few old, small shops and no office buildings. Its residents commuted to the larger districts to the north and east for work and school, and life in the little district moved at its own steady pace, independent of the bustle of the rest of the city.

The residents of Tenma District were blissfully unaware that three dangerous new tenants had moved into a condominium on the north side of Tenma District.

"You've been staring at that thing for days, Gil—I mean, Dreadwing. It's just a rock. It's never gonna do anything cool." A tall, athletic girl with short, back-swept orange hair with lighter amber streaks leaned against the bar dividing the kitchen area from the living room, regarding her teammate with cool, derisive amber eyes. She wore an artfully ripped turquoise T-shirt, black jeans, and a black leather jacket.

On the sofa, a girl with a hard, predatory face sat, clutching a rough-hewn chunk of crystal shaped like a crescent moon. Her golden eyes roamed over every facet of the crystal beneath forward-swept snow white bangs which were frosted lavender at the tips. She wore a suede jacket over a cream-colored tank top and tan cargo pants. "Trust me, Thundercracker. This is no ordinary rock. You can't even begin to imagine the power locked inside this dorky-looking thing."

Thundercracker snorted. "You mean like those weird ninja magic tricks you do?"

Dreadwing looked up. "You heard about Kirin Tower, right?"

Thundercracker snorted. "Of course. My phone hasn't been worth shit since we came to this town."

"This stone has the power to blow up a building like Kirin Tower a hundred times over."

Thundercracker's eyes widened. "Bullshit."

"Why do you think I wanted to steal it so bad?"

Thundercracker rolled her eyes. "Whatever. You do a lot of things that don't make sense. Doesn't she, Starscream?"

The third member of their group sat in one of the lush armchairs in the living room. Her face was shrouded by the black hood of the white sweatshirt she wore, which had long sleeves that were blue from the elbows down. Over this, she wore a loose, sleeveless red vest which matched her red pleather miniskirt. Her eyes were hidden behind red-tinted glasses.

"I trust Dreadwing...for the most part," Starscream said. "She hasn't led us wrong yet, we're in a comfortable condo instead of in jail, and we can buy anything we want. If she wants to obsess over some magic crystal, I say let her."

Thundercracker snorted. "Fine," she spat. "I'm bailin'. I need some air." She headed for the door, putting on a pair of heavy grey combat boots at the genkan before stomping out, slamming the door behind her.

Dreadwing frowned. "If I didn't need her speed and her skill, I'd cut that bitch," she muttered.

"Just ignore her," Starscream said. "You've got more important things to worry about."

"Right," Dreadwing said, returning to her study of the Lunar Seal.


* * * * *


When Twilight returned from school, she found Celestia sitting in the living room. "Celestia-sama!"

"Twilight," Celestia said. "I've learned something very troubling."

Twilight sat down. "What is it?"

"Some of my agents in another prefecture of Neighpon have been investigating the possible location of another Lunar Seal. Their investigation lead to the discovery of a recent museum robbery in which the museum's security guards were murdered. Only one thing was stolen. Based on what they've learned from the museum staff..."

"It was a Lunar Seal," Twilight said, face pale.

"I don't believe the Seal has been compromised yet," Celestia said. "But the fact that it has been stolen, and innocents murdered in the process..."

"Where was this?" Twilight asked. "I could go—"

"The theft occurred in Deer Valley, but it is unlikely the culprits remained in that area," Celestia said. "And given that the theft happened almost two weeks ago, the thieves could be anywhere by now."

Twilight sighed. "Is there anything I can do?"

"Just remain vigilant," Celestia said. "If this had been an ordinary museum robbery, that would be one thing, but given that the only item stolen was the Lunar Seal..."

"Whoever stole it knew exactly what they were looking for," Twilight finished. She took off her glasses and rubbed the bridge of her nose. "We really don't need another Sunset Shimmer. Especially not this soon..."

"What puzzles me is that there are no fugitives from Sun Island on the loose at this time," Celestia said. "Your brother and I have been going over every possible rogue mage who might be interested in—"

"Trixie," Twilight said suddenly. "I need to find her and question her."

Celestia frowned. "I...had considered the possibility that this Trixie was somehow involved. I had hoped not to suspect her, since she did save you and your friends."

"But she may have been corrupted by the Lunar Seal magic she stole from Sunset Shimmer," Twilight said. "When Sunset Shimmer started reciting Luna's infamous speech, word for word..." She shuddered.

Celestia's eyes dropped to her lap. "Very well. For the moment, Trixie of the Lulamoon Clan is a suspect. I want you and Spike to investigate her."

"And my friends," Twilight said. "I'll need their help if I'm going to face Trixie. Especially Pinkie-san. She's my best bet when it comes to drawing Trixie out into the open."

Celestia nodded. "I'll leave it to you then, Twilight." She faded from view.

Twilight sighed and pulled out her phone. "Pinkie? We have a mission..."


* * * * *


Off to Rainbow Dash's left, the sun was setting. Sweat plastered the light, thin tank top she wore to her body and dripped from her face. She'd been running for an hour and a half; another half hour and she'd be ready to slow to a cool-down jog and head for home.

Somebody sprinted out from a side street to her right, burning up the road to keep pace with her. Her sudden running partner easily matched her speed, then pushed slightly ahead.

Rainbow was tired, but not too tired to take up the challenge. She pushed her already-burning legs just a bit harder to match and overtake the other runner.

For ten minutes, they kept and even pace; finally, Rainbow's burning muscles and aching lungs forced her to skid to a stop. Panting, she plopped to her butt on the side of the road, stretching her legs out in front of her and grimacing as she massaged what felt like the start of an absolute bitch of a cramp.

Her opponent looped back and crouched down in front of her, smirking. "Lost your edge, Dash?"

Rainbow looked up at the girl who was grinning down at her. She took in her orange hair, which looked like a blazing fire in the setting sun, and her amused amber eyes. She gasped. "Lightning Dust?"

The other girl chuckled. "So you do remember me," she said.

"Yeah, I remember you liked to cheat to win races," Rainbow said. "Like you did just now."

"How exactly did I cheat?" Lightning Dust asked.

Rainbow waved her hands around expressively. "I'd already been running for over an hour!"

"And how was I supposed to know that?" Lightning Dust challenged. "I saw that crazy mop of clown hair fly past, knew exactly who it was, and decided to see if you'd gotten any better since I left."

"Oh, I'll show you how much better I am now," Rainbow said. "Take me on again when I'm fresh and you'll have to change your name to Eating Dust!"

Lightning Dust snorted. "Same little loudmouth," she said.

"Fuck you," Rainbow said, saluting Lightning Dust with her middle finger.

"I know you want to, but I'm not gay," Lightning Dust retorted, sticking out her tongue.

Rainbow blew a raspberry. "So what the hell're you doin' back in Pony City, Dusty?"

"Eh, you know. Stuff." Lightning Dust shrugged. "Dropped outta school, been doin' odd jobs. It's a good life."

"It sounds like a shit life," Rainbow said. "It sounds like a waste of one of the fastest sprinters in Neighpon."

"Eh, waste of my time," Lightning Dust said dismissively. "All that time I was wasting in school, I'm using to train parkour. There's good money to be had there."

"Parkour, huh?" Rainbow shrugged. "Yeah, okay, I can see that. You always did like to take stupid risks. I guess breaking your neck once wasn't enough for you."

Lightning Dust snorted. "Yeah, I didn't go out of my way to talk to you just so you can act all high and mighty, Dash."

Rainbow sighed. "Sorry." She peeled her shirt away from her damp skin. "How long you in town for?"

"Dunno," Lightning Dust replied, shrugging.

"Maybe we could hang out sometime, y'know, like we used to. You could meet my friends...I've got a bunch of new friends now."

"New friends, huh?" Lightning Dust asked. "What about your old friends? I remember you used to hang out with Thunderlane and Flitter a lot..."

Rainbow looked away. "Thunderlane and Flitter...they're dead," she said.

Lightning Dust blinked. "Dead? Whaddya mean dead?"

"It happened two months ago," Rainbow said. Steeling herself against the wrongness of what she was about to say, she continued, "Flitter got hit by a truck. When Thunderlane found out, he...killed himself."

"Shit," Lightning Dust said. "That blows." She scratched the back of her head. "Look, I gotta split. Got stuff to do. Catch up with you later, okay?"

"Yeah, okay," Rainbow said distractedly. She watched Lightning Dust jump onto the roof of a house, then sprint off down the block, keeping to rooftops, utility poles, and trees. She shook her head. "Parkour," she said. "She hasn't changed at all..."


* * * * *


Twilight stood next to Pinkie, watching her post to her feed.




Smile-chan! @smilesmilesmile
Hey G.P.T! Smile here! You can't see it, but I'm mooning you right now!




"Now we wait," Pinkie said.

Five minutes later, Trixie appeared in a burst of silver flame. "VERY funny, Pinkamena Diane Pie," she said. "That's right. Trixie knows everything about you now. The names of your parents and your sisters...Trixie even knows about your pet alligator."

Pinkie rolled her eyes. "Everybody knows all that now, duh-face," she said. "I don't have a single secret left from the world."

"But you do, Trixie," Twilight said. "Starting with the murder of three security guards at a museum in Deer Valley and the theft of a second Lunar Seal."

Trixie frowned. "Trixie has never even been to Deer Valley." She tossed her hair. "Besides, if Trixie intended to steal a Lunar Seal from a museum, she would not need to resort to murder to do so. Trixie is far too talented and powerful to need to resort to violence to commit a simple theft."

"But you're from Sun Island," Twilight said. "And you've already stolen the power of one Lunar Seal."

"Trixie saw an opportunity and she seized it," Trixie said. "Nothing more. Trixie has no interest in the remaining Lunar Seals."

"Maybe you don't," Twilight said, "but someone does. Someone you might not even know you're possessed by."

Trixie scoffed. "That pitiful fragment of Luna's memory that was contained in the Seal's power? Please. I sensed it when I was drawing out the Seal magic with my jutsu. I left it in Sunset Shimmer's head." Trixie looked at Twilight down the length of her nose, haughtily. "There is room for only one voice in Trixie's head, and that voice is Trixie."

Twilight gave Trixie a long, measuring stare. "Swear it on your pride, Trixie. On your pride, swear you had nothing to do with that other Lunar Seal."

"On my pride as a Lulamoon, I swear I have not stolen an actual Lunar Seal, nor murdered any museum guards." Trixie folded her arms. "I have no interest in whatever nonsense Sunset Shimmer was involved in, nor any desire to see the Nightbringer's seal weakened further. My one and only reason for stealing the Lunar Seal magic from Sunset Shimmer was because the little bitch never intended to pay me even if I had managed to steal the Elements of Harmony and kill you." She smirked. "You know, your little Emerald Flame lapdog did Snips a favor by killing him? I saw what happened to the other one, Snails. It wasn't pretty."

"What happened to him?" Pinkie asked.

Trixie shuddered. "Best you don't know."

"Tell us anyway," Twilight said.

Trixie sighed. "She sacrificed him to Chrysalis, the Changeling Queen. He was...converted into a Royal Drone."

"Royal Drone..." Twilight pursed her lips. "Come to think of it...the Changelings were after Spike for the same reason..."

"So the other boy's dead?" Pinkie asked.

"Oh, he's much worse than dead," Trixie said. "He was mutated into an incomplete Changeling. I saw the whole thing." She gave Twilight a level stare. "That's the only reason I stole the Lunar Seal magic from Sunset Shimmer. Don't get me wrong...I'm enjoying having this power. But I only stole it to screw her over."

Twilight thought about this for a moment, then nodded. "Thank you, Trixie-san." She paused. "If...if you find out anything that might be helpful..."

"We're not friends, Twilight Sparkle," Trixie said. "It's in your best interests if our paths never cross again." She turned to Pinkie. "And as for you... Trixie fully intends to destroy your popularity and claim her rightful place as the number one Net Idol."

With that, she disappeared again.

After a long moment of silence, Pinkie said, "That girl is very unsmile."

"Yes...yes, she is," Twilight said. "But...I believe her. I believe every word she said just now." She frowned. "Which doesn't really help us..."


* * * * *


Thundercracker returned to the condo she shared with the other two girls. "Any luck?" she asked.

Dreadwing frowned. "I think I might know how to break this thing, but...it's gonna take a lot more power than I have."

"Will this do?" Starscream asked, tossing her phone to Dreadwing.

Dreadwing caught it and stared at the screen. It showed a video of three mahoushoujo pumping massive amounts of powerful magic into the most intense barrier she'd ever seen.

Her lips pulled back into a grin that gave her the appearance of a predatory bird. "Oh yeah...that's exactly what I need..."